US officials indirectly warned Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf that Israel may try to target them in assassination attempts, while they were engaged in negotiations with Washington to end the war earlier this year, The New York Times reports. The report, which cites current and former US officials, alleges that some officials believed Israel may have been planning to kill the top Iranian negotiators in the weeks following the April 8 ceasefire that halted fighting in the US-Israel war with Iran.
The report, which cites current and former US officials, alleges that some officials believed Israel may have been planning to kill the top Iranian negotiators in the weeks following the April 8 ceasefire that halted fighting in the US-Israel war with Iran. In light of those concerns, the US officials asked their counterparts across the region to warn Tehran that Israel may try to target the two men.
Officials quoted by the Times note that when the war began on February 28, and as Israel worked its way through killing much of Iran’s senior leadership, both Araghchi and Ghalibaf could have been legitimate targets. But once a ceasefire was declared in early April and the two men were selected to represent Iran’s position in ceasefire negotiations, the officials say any attempt to kill them would have likely blown up the talks and triggered new fighting. (Read More)
